


The adventures of the Bugboy [SNAPSHOT]

by Moosandthebugs



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: FTM OC, Marvel OC, Marvel Original Character(s), OC being tutored by Tony Stark, Original Trans Character(s) - Freeform, Tony Stark & Original Character(s) - Freeform, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Warning: mild transphobia, ftm character, trans original character, warning: angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 04:29:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21068855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moosandthebugs/pseuds/Moosandthebugs
Summary: ‘Theodore. Theodore, don’t go. What the hell? You just passed out, you can’t just announce you are transgender and then waltz out without even being fully recovered?’ Tony sounded frantic, angry, sad.A snapshot from a story I'm working on about my (trans) superhero OC Theodore (alias: bugboy.) He is 17 and being trained by the Avengers. This is the chapter they find out he's trans.





	The adventures of the Bugboy [SNAPSHOT]

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
Since this is a lose chapter, here's some much needed context... 
> 
> Theodore is a trans boy, he has super powers that allow him to grow/summon every kind of bug, beetle, arachnid, myriapod etc.  
Alias: the Bugboy. He being trained by the Avengers, this all takes place after the avengers (2012) and before CA:WS (2014).  
Tony just gave him his first suit, but its skintight and Theodore can no longer pull off training in a hoodie without a binder. So he wears his binder during training for the first time :----)  
STACH is his AI, which he downloaded into a metal robot in the form of a millipede cause I’m the author and I can do whatever the fuck I want. Anyways, hope thats enough context to understand it!
> 
> Warning: It’s pretty angsty!!

Theodore arrived at the Compound on sunday, wearing his new suit. STACH crawled around his shoulders lazily, the feel of the tiny feet comforting him. All of the Avengers expressed their admiration for the suit, squishing Theodores shoulders as he stood awkwardly.  
The team started doing their stretches and jogging around the training hall as warm up. Theodore started his run. It felt great at first; the suit hugged his skin comfortably tight and it was great to run without the nagging dysphoria that came with it when he didn’t wear his binder. But the pleasant feeling didn’t last long; after just minutes he felt his breath running short. It’s nothing, he thought. Just get through these two hours.  
After ten minutes, he felt a sharp pain shooting through his ribs. Sweat beads started to form on his forehead, but not of exhaustion; this wasn’t going well whatsoever, and Theodore could feel the nerves nagging in his stomach. Steve passed him by, looking just as fresh as he did when he started fifteen minutes ago. ‘Are you alright there buddy?’, He asked, visibly concerned. Theodore waved him off. 

Tony stood on the side, taking some time to examine his teammates. Steve was invincible as always, bypassing everyone on his run effortlessly, which earned him irritated grunts from the others. But Theodore… Tony watched on as he started slowing down after just ten minutes, breathing frantically. Tony couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Theodore’s stamina was insane, almost comparable to that of Steve. He could run for hours with ease. So what was going on? Had the boy started smoking? The sole thought infuriated Tony. He wouldn’t be surprised if he had; Theodore was an edgy teen after all.  
But then again, the boy had already seemed off yesterday. Something was bothering him. And Tony knew he’d never find out what it was if he directly confronted Theodore with it. He’d just brush him off.  
So Tony watched, as the boy struggled to complete his lap. He was wheezing now. Just as Tony decided he needed to act, he saw Theodore collapse. He fell like a bag of bricks. Not even bothering to break his fall. He lay there, on the gym floor, gasping for air, chest moving up and down frantically.  
Tony’s blood froze. Before he knew it, he was bolting towards the boy, who was already surrounded by the other team members.  
Theodore was clutching his chest and coughing. Tony squatted and grabbed Theodores face, trying to get his attention.  
‘Theo. Theo. Look at me. What’s wrong buddy? Talk to me. Theo.’  
But the teen had no time to respond between the hyperventilating.  
‘Can’t. Can’t breathe.’ He managed.  
‘Yeah, I got that part. Okay,’ he turned to his teammates. ‘We need to get him to med bay. Steve, help me carry him.’

Theodore opened his eyes, and was immediately hit by the bright white lightning of a hospital ward. The first thing he noticed was the smell, that same sterile smell that always lingered in a hospital building. He looked around. Tony was sitting in a chair opposed to his bed. He looked… angry. He was holding something. Theodore tried to focus his eyes. A shock went through his body when he realised Tony was holding his binder. Suddenly, all the memories of what had happened came crashing back on him.  
Oh my god, this can’t be happening.  
He covered his face in his hands, wanting nothing more than to disappear.  
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck.’  
Why had he been so stupid? So careless? Now they all knew. Oh my god, they all know. And they found out in the worst way possible too.  
Theodore felt tears of frustration prickling in his eyes.  
‘Care to explain to me what this is?’, Tony demanded.  
‘Judging by your face, you already know.’  
‘What I know is that you’re wearing this immensely tight thing, that is constricting your lungs. God, how stupid are you? What were you thinking? You can’t just train without letting your body breathe, Theodore.’  
Tony rarely called him Theodore anymore. Always Theo. Or just kid.  
Theodore did not respond.  
‘Why were you wearing this? What is it?’  
‘It’s a binder.’ Theodore tried his best to sound careless, cold.  
‘Why. Were. You. Wearing. This.’  
‘I’m Transgender, alright?’, Theodore finally snapped. ‘I was born a girl. My binder keeps my chest flat.’  
A long silence fell.  
‘You’re a girl?’  
‘No!’, Theodore exclaimed frantically. His eyes were burning. God, please don’t cry. Please don’t cry.  
‘I’m- I don’t understand. You look like a boy.’  
‘I AM a boy. And I have been on hormones for seven months now. That’s why I look the way I do.’  
‘You kept this a secret from us all this time- from me. I thought you trusted me.’ Tony huffed a laugh. He was hurt, Theodore could see it in his eyes.  
Theodores throat was sewn shut, he thought he might suffocate. He needed to get out of here right now, or he would burst into tears.  
‘Well, I guess you thought wrong.’  
And with that, he stood up and left the room. He was wearing the same hoodie he always wore, but no binder underneath. Which means that at least one doctor had seen him shirtless. The thought made him sick to his stomach.  
‘Theodore. Theodore, don’t go. What the hell? You just passed out, you can’t just announce you are transgender and then waltz out without even being fully recovered?’ Tony sounded frantic, angry, sad.  
‘Fucking hell I can.’

Happy agreed to taking Theodore home. Happy knew very well something was wrong. The boys eyes looked red, and he had red marks all over his neck and face. But Theodore refuse to drop any other clues. So Happy just drove.  
Finally home, Theodore headed straight to his room, completely ignoring Ann's greetings. In a trance, he climbed to the rooftop through his window. When he sat down, he felt like he could finally let his guard down. Relax. And before he knew it, he was sniffling. Tears running over his cheeks. Sniffles turned into hard sobs. He buried his face in his hands. He just sat there crying, shoulders shaking violently.  
Theodore never cried. But now that he finally did, everything that had built up over months, no years, came flooding out. He thought about Tony. One of the only people he truly felt safe with. But not anymore, not quite. And then he thought about Sophie, how bad he wished she’d been there right now. Not to talk. Just to sit next to him. And inevitably, he started thinking about his mom and dad. Just the picture of their faces in his head made his sobs more violent. He missed the way his mother smelled, when she wasn’t smelling of booze. How soft her skin was. He missed his dad, God he missed his dad.  
And he missed Tony. Not the Tony who was currently in his lab down at the compound, the Tony that stopped existing the moment he found out about Theodore. The one Theodore trusted more than anyone.

It took him thirty minutes to calm down. His eyes felt puffy. He was drained. He curled up on the gravel and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Tony had locked himself into his lab once more. He worked on some meaningless project to try to take his mind of that days events, but it did not work. The whole scenario kept playing over and over in his head. The way he was sure he could not breathe the moment he saw Theodore collapse. He had been so worried. No wonder he lashed out when he found out it had been Theodores very own fault.  
Or had he been unnecessarily cruel? I mean, the boy was transgender. What even was that, really? Because obviously, it wasn’t how Tony had pictured it. His thoughts chewed him up inside. At some point he realised he had been staring blankly at his desk for god knows how long. Fuck it, he thought.  
So he headed to the elevator. ‘J.A.R.V.I.S, tell everyone to come to the common room please.’

Tony sat on the couch, fingers against his temples. His friends surrounded him, most of them still standing.  
‘What’s going on Tony?’, Bruce’s voice was nervous, twitchy. ‘Is this an emergency?’  
‘Yes. I mean no. Kind of?’  
‘This is about Theo, isn’t it?’, everyone looked at Natasha. Tony wondered how she always managed to be two steps ahead of everyone else.  
‘Yes. It is. As you all know, he went home a few hours ago, his health is perfectly fine as far as we know. But as he was in med bay, some things came to light and…’  
How was he ever going to word this correctly?  
‘And he is transgender.’  
Everyone stared at him blankly. Except for Natasha. ‘We knew that already though, right?’  
‘I think that was just you, Nat,’ Steve noted.  
Bruce nodded softly. ‘Okay. That’s… that’s something. But that’s not a problem though, right Tony? I mean, he’s a good kid. He’s smart, he’s strong, and he’s a boy. Nothing can change that really.’  
Tony looked at the ground.  
‘Alright,’ Steve broke the silence. ‘I will admit; this is all very new to me. But Bruce is right. Theodore is a good kid. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re all pretty fond of him, even if he can be a bit… held back sometimes-’  
‘What’s wrong with held back?’, interjected Natasha.  
‘What I’m trying to say is; Tony, the boy loves you. And quite frankly, I’m getting the feeling you’re pretty fond of him too. So do what you need to do. Do your research. Talk with him. But figure it out. The boy has been through enough; don’t make him feel like we reject him.’

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That's the chapter! Please let me know if you have any tips and lmk if you like it, if you do I'll post the complete story when it's done. Thanks for reading!


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